Kathmandu: Nepal's ruling Maoist party is on the verge of a split after a dissident faction led by Mohan Vaidya 'Kiran' on Friday demanded the resignation of party supremo Prachanda, accusing him and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai of going astray from "communist ideals".

UCPN-Maoist, the largest party in the dissolved Constituent Assembly, faced a split after efforts for a patch up between the establishment faction led by Prachanda and Bhattarai, and dissident group led by Vaidya and general secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa failed.

The Maoist Central Committee members loyal to Vaidya on Friday held a meeting at the Kupondole, the liaison office of the dissident faction, and discussed the proposal to form a new party.

During the meeting, the party hardliners underlined the need to form a new party to preserve the "communist ideals".

"Vaidya faction has also asked party chairman Prachanda to resign from the top post to save the party from being split," said Pampha Bhushal, politburo member of the party.

The meeting urged the party cadres to seriously think over the transformation of party based on the revolutionary guidelines, saying the party under the leadership of Prachanda is going astray.

Vaidya said that "his faction has initiated the procedure for forming a new party."

He said that the faction has called for a national assembly on June 15 in order to chart out the future course of action.

The dissident faction has been alleging that Prachanda- Bhattarai were deviating from the party line and toeing to the status-quo forces.

Vaidya has been blaming Bhattarai for the failure to draft the Constitution within the May 27 deadline.

He has also demanded resignation of the Prime Minister and formation of a national consensus government.

Vaidya faction has suggested forming the government through a "round table assembly" and claimed that it would complete the remaining tasks regarding the Constitution drafting.

"The faction's national assembly on June 15 will decide about the fate of the party," Bhushal pointed out.

Meanwhile, the establishment faction of the party has also called for an extended meeting on June 29 to counter the hardline faction's call of national assembly.

In the mean time, 19 political parties, including the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, have decided to organize nationwide agitation to dislodge the caretaker Bhattarai government.

They have decided to organise protests against the government's decision to go for fresh Constituent Assembly (CA) election on November 22 after failing to draft the Constitution within the deadline.

A joint meeting of the parties held at CPN- UML's headquarters in Balkhu issued a press statement saying that the Prime Minister should pave the way for the formation of a consensus government as per the sentiment of the interim Constitution.

The parties have decided to organise a public meeting on June 8 in Kathmandu and have also urged the general public to participate in the protests to be organised countrywide.

The parties have said that the decision to hold CA election was against the Constitutional provision and democratic tradition and the Maoists' plot to capture state power.

They alleged that Bhattarai had declared fresh election after the CA dissolved on May 27 without consulting with the major political parties.

They accused him of breaching the Constitution by announcing the election date unilaterally without amending the Interim Constitution which is silent about the fresh election.